One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars in the offseason was whether Trevor Lawrence could bounce back from a pair of injury-marred seasons. Based on his progress in training camp and the preseason, it looked like he was going to pull it off. However, No. 16's performance in Week 1 didn't do enough to alleviate concerns.
Lawrence went 19-of-31 for 178 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the win against the Carolina Panthers. All things considered, it wasn't a bad outing, and his biggest mistake might've been his underthrow that Jaycee Horn picked off.
On the other hand, the fifth-year quarterback missed several passes he's previously shown he can make. Not surprisingly, head coach Liam Coen took the ball off his hands and chose to lean on his talented backfield to put the Panthers away.
The Jaguars will need more from Trevor Lawrence moving forward
Following the game, Liam Coen wasn't overly critical of Trevor Lawrence but also pointed out that he did miss several passes. Overall, the first-year head coach thinks his quarterback did well when you take into account that he's adjusting to a new system and had to change his mechanics in the offseason.
This begs the question, can Lawrence quickly improve? The Jaguars will next fly to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. And performance like the one against Carolina might not cut it.
If the former Clemson Tiger doesn't make strides quickly, the Jags may need to once again lean on Travis Etienne and their stout defense to win games. That may be enough at times but won't suffice against the crème de la crème in the NFL.
Jaguars' QB Trevor Lawrence got positive reviews after the Panthers win
At this point, it may be a good idea to calibrate/temper expectations or Trevor Lawrence. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports ranked Lawrence 23rd in the aftermath of the win over the Panthers, noting that it was Travis Etienne who helped the Jaguars come out on top.
"Yes, the Liam Coen era got off to a victorious start," Benjamin wrote. "But that's a bigger credit to Travis Etienne's big rushing day. Lawrence was fine in spurts, but for all his natural athleticism, he remains an erratic point guard."
Benjamin isn't wrong, and you'll find similar reviews that discuss Lawrence's shortcomings in the opener. Then again, not everything is doom and gloom. Despite his misses against the Panthers, several analysts believe there were encouraging signs.
For instance, Jared Feinberg of USA TODAY Sports argues that Lawrence has room for improvement, but his tempo, footwork, and overall mechanics were sound.
Trevor Lawrence was *great* production wise, and he did have some throws he’d want back in the 2nd half.
His tempo, footwork, overall mechanics, accuracy, and decision-making were sound against the Panthers.
Room for improvement, but arrow 📈. #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/EEZnnwF5AO
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) September 9, 2025
Team reporter Bucky Brooks, for his part, says that Lawrence was the most confident and composed he's seen him.
"I think it was solid, but here's what I will say about Trevor in being on the sideline for each of his starts, and watching and knowing him and watching him in high school," Brooks said. "I felt like it was the most confident and composed that I've seen Trevor over the course of the game."
Brooks continued, "I'm not saying that it was a perfect performance in terms of accuracy and those things. But in terms of feel and the feel that I got from him, the vibe that he gave off, I felt like he was fully in command of the offense, what they were doing, the people around them, getting them in the right spots. All of that to me, when I looked at Trevor yesterday, I saw franchise."
Dan Orlovsky of ESPN echoes Brook's sentiment, noting that Lawrence showed renewed confdience under head coach LIam Coen.
Can the @Jaguars get this Trevor over the course of the season? Can they get the Trevor from the 3rd play?
That’s their question #NFLLIVE pic.twitter.com/ukD7zz2vfF
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 10, 2025
By now, you have noticed a theme: Lawrence wasn't outright bad against the Panthers but needs to be better. For the sake of the Jaguars, he'd better make strides. Otherwise, speculation about his future (or lack thereof) in Jacksonville will only increase in the upcoming months.
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